Originals SOME MEN ARE BORN LEADERS, INSPIRING CONFIDENCE WITH THE SLIGHTEST OF NODS AND THE SOFTEST OF WORDS. IN THE FIFTH CENTURY BC, THERE LIVED SUCH A MAN BY THE NAME OF , BORN TO DARIUS II, THE KING OF PERSIA.

CYRUS‛S REPUTATION FOR SKILL IN BATTLE WAS SURPASSED ONLY BY THE REPUTATION FOR HIS CHARACTER. HE TOOK PRIDE IN BESTOWING WEALTH UPON THOSE DISPLAYING BRAVERY AND HONOR. AND HIS WORDS AND PROMISES WERE UNBREAKABLE.

BUT NOT ALL MEN ARE BORN LEADERS. SOME REQUIRE CROWNS ATOP THEIR HEADS TO GET THE LOYALTY OF THEIR FRIENDS. AND IN THE FIFTH CENTURY BC, THERE ALSO LIVED SUCH A MAN BY THE NAME OF ARTAXERXES II, CYRUS‛S ELDER BROTHER.

HE LACKED CYRUS‛S REPUTATION FOR KINDNESS AND HONOR, AND HENCE WAS NOT FAVORED BY MANY, NOT EVEN HIS OWN MOTHER. SO WHEN THEIR FATHER LAY DYING, ARTAXERXES II KNEW HE NEEDED TO ACT QUICKLY.

CAMPFIRETM www.campfire.co.in IT WAS ASSUMED THE THRONE WOULD FALL TO ONE OF THE KING‛S SONS—THE BORN LEADER OR THE ONE WHO NEEDED A CROWN TO RULE. WHEN DARIUS II PASSED AWAY, ARTAXERXES WAS SWIFT TO TAKE THE THRONE AND EXILE HIS BROTHER BEFORE HE COULD CHALLENGE HIM. BUT CYRUS COULD WIELD POWER AND INFLUENCE WITHOUT A CROWN.

HE GAVE HIS MONEY FREELY TO HIS FRIENDS TO HELP THEM PROTECT THEIR OWN BORDERS. GRADUALLY, LOYALTIES BEGAN TO SHIFT FROM THE BROTHER WITH THE CROWN TO THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN EXILED. AND WHEN CYRUS SENT WORD OF A MUTUAL ENEMY TO HIS FRIENDS, HIS WORDS WERE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.

A GOVERNOR BY THE NAME OF HAD BEEN THREATENING TO INVADE THE OUTER PROVINCES OF PERSIA. CYRUS ARGUED THAT AS THE KING‛S BROTHER, HE HELD MORE RIGHT TO THE OUTER PROVINCES THAN TISSAPHERNES DID.

CAMPFIRETM www.campfire.co.in BELIEVING THE WORDS OF CYRUS, MANY AGREED TO JOIN HIM IN TAKING ACTION AGAINST TISSAPHERNES. MEN OF POWER AND WEALTH— AND THOSE JUST CRAVING POWER AND WEALTH—ALL ANSWERED THE CALL TO ARMS.

BELIEVING THAT A CONFLICT BETWEEN CYRUS AND TISSAPHERNES COULD NOT DAMAGE HIS RULE, THE KING TURNED A BLIND EYE TO THE DISPUTE. BUT SOON, THE HANDFUL OF SOLDIERS LOYAL TO CYRUS GREW TO MANY. THEN THE MANY GREW TO AN ARMY, MARCHING FROM ALL CORNERS OF GREECE TO THE HEART OF PERSIA.

AND I, EUSTACHIUS, A COMMON SOLDIER, WAS THERE AS A WITNESS TO IT ALL.

CAMPFIRETM www.campfire.co.in AUGUST 401 BC. THE OUTSKIRTS …AND WE OF CUNAXA, SEVENTY WILL NOT ADVANCE KILOMETERS NORTH OF BABYLON. ANOTHER STEP!

YOU DARE TO STRIKE A CAP- TAIN! THIS IS NOT WHAT A CAPTAIN WHO WE SIGNED UP HAS DECEIVED US FOR FOR… THE LAST SIX MONTHS THAT WE HAVE BEEN MARCHING? GLADLY!

YOU SIGNED UP TO FOLLOW CYRUS AND TO FIGHT FOR HIM. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING, SISYPHUS.

STOP THEM, THEOGNIS! LET NO ONE LEAVE!

YES, CAPTAIN CALLINUS.

AM I WITNESSING THE END OF OUR CAMPAIGN? AS HOPLITES*, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE BACKBONE OF THIS ARMY. WE WE HAVE NOTHING BUT OUR SWORDS, DON‛T CARRY SLINGS OR ARROWS TO FIGHT SHIELDS, FISTS, AND SWEAT. WE ARE FROM AFAR. WE DON‛T RIDE HORSES, LIKE THE ALL UNDER THE COMMAND OF GENERAL WEALTHY, TO FLEE IN CASE OF TROUBLE. MENON. BUT RUMORS AND SUSPICION ARE UNDERMINING HIS COMMAND.

DROP YOUR WEAPONS!

*HEAVILY ARMORED GREEK INFANTRY.

CAMPFIRETM www.campfire.co.in I‛VE KNOWN YOUR FATHER FOR YEARS, SISYPHUS. HE HAS ALWAYS TO HELL BEEN GOOD TO MY FAMILY, WITH YOUR OR- SO I TAKE NO PLEASURE DERS, AND TO HELL IN THIS. WITH BUT I HAVE CYRUS! MY ORDERS. FALL BACK INTO LINE. ALL OF YOU!

WE NEVER QUESTIONED WHOM WE WERE ABOUT TO FIGHT.

I‛LL BE SURE TO TELL MY FATHER YOU SEND YOUR REGARDS, THEOGNIS. HE‛LL APPRECIATE THAT.

WE NEVER QUESTIONED WHY WE WERE ABOUT TO GO TO WAR.

PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE.

IT‛S A BAD SIGN, WHAT NEWS, EUSTACHIUS. A BAD OMEN. EUSTACHIUS? PERHAPS THE GODS ARE CHAOS, AENEAS. ANGRY WITH US? THERE IS CHAOS EV- ERYWHERE, JUST LIKE I SPOTTED THAT. GREEK VERSUS SOME OF THE GENERALS GREEK. TALKING WITH . SOMETHING STRANGE IS GOING ON. DEFINITELY.

CAMPFIRETM www.campfire.co.in Fortune favors the bold… They were an unstoppable force hired to take the crown from the king of Persia. They were a fearless army of Greek soldiers, and one hundred thousand men fi ghti ng as one. They were led by the fi nest and most courageous generals in all of Greece. They were being led to unimaginable wealth, but that was days ago. Now their leaders are dead and their army has scatt ered. Their numbers have fallen to men and nothing remains but fear. They are men praying not for victory, but for the slim chance of living one more day. Cut off by impassable terrain and pursued by an army of one million enemy soldiers, they must stand together to survive. To fi nd their way home, one of their own must lead them. And to live one more day… …they must fi ght.

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